MULTIMEDIA-ENGLISH

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  Put in Order
Frequency adverbs: position
Focus Grammar
Description Practise how to put adverbs of frequency in the right place inside the sentence.
Instructions Order these sentences so the adverb of frequency comes in the right position.
 
Items
I / get up / at 8 a.m. / always
 
go on holiday / My parents / almost never
 
go / usually / once a year / to the dentist / I
 
to the gym / three times a week / I / go
 
rarely / help you / if you need it / Tom / will
 
what to say / know / I / never
 
Place it in mid-position (not at the beginning or the end)
to help me / My parents / very often / come
 
Place it in mid-position (not at the beginning or the end)
usually / They / need / some help with the homework
 
never / listen / They / can
 
Place it in mid-position (not at the end)
dress / Can / always / I / in green?
 
Begin the sentence with YESTERDAY
she / Yesterday, / me / phoned / twice
 
I / five times / saw / it
 
Place it in mid-position (not at the beginning or the end)
for dinner / often / eats / Mike / pizza
 
? / go / Do / every day / to the gym / you
 
Begin the sentence with SHE
when you talk to her / rarely / listens / She
 
often / do / go / to the disco? / How / you
 
always / asking me questions / is / She
 
several times a year / breaks down / My car
 
I / eat / hardly ever / oranges
 
every other day / have / We / soup
 
Place it in mid-position (not at the end)
win / Does / ? / always / Kevin
 
Place it in mid-position (not at the beginning or the end)
late / is / John / often
 
usually / have lunch / you / Do / at home?
 
in the mornings. / Something is the matter with me. I / usually / very tired / am
 
never / your car keys / You / find / can
 
Place it in mid-position (not at the beginning or the end)
dresses / very often / in blue / She
 
go / I / to the hairdresser's / once a month / usually
 
Place it in mid-position (not at the end)
feel tired? / you / Do / often
 
have to go / day in, day out / I / shopping
 
every other day. / I travel a lot. I / some petrol / need
 
Total number of items: 30
This is an activity from Multimedia-English www.multimedia-english.com
 

FREQUENCY ADVERBS

These adverbs answer the question: How often?
Here is a list ordered from more to less frequency (percentages are approximative)

ALWAYS (100%)
FREQUENTLY (90%)
USUALLY (85%)      = generally, normally
OFTEN (75%)
SOMETIMES (50%)      = now and then
OCCASIONALLY (35%)
SELDOM (25%)
RARELY (10%)
HARDLY EVER (5%)
NEVER (0%)

Word order:

One-word adverbs

Before normal verbs (the rest)
- I OFTEN go to the cinema
- He RARELY watches television
After special verbs (to be, have, do, can, will, etc.)
- I am ALWAYS here
- you can NEVER speak fast o
exceptions:
- I HARDLY EVER watch football on TV
- Tim ALMOST NEVER eats pudding
Notice: Some of these can use VERY (with the same position).
- I VERY OFTEN eat potatoes
- We VERY RARELY go to the beach

Two words or more

At the end of the sentence
- I go to the cinema TWICE A MONTH
- He works in the mornings EVERY OTHER DAY (= every two days)
- He watches football DAY IN, DAY OUT (= every day, every single day)
- We go hiking SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR (= a few times every year)

How many times?
Once = x1
Twice = x2
Three times = x3
Four times, etc. = x4

These frequency phrases usually go at the end:
- You have to ring the bell twice
- I go to the cinema once a month
- Tim goes to school three times a week